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m0mmaBuck

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Everything posted by m0mmaBuck

  1. When I was in school, we only celebrated the end of high school. No preschool or middle school graduations like they do now. I find it all to be a bit overdone. Caps and gowns for a 5 yo? Really? We take a summer break and usually just focus on reading and one or two fun subjects (computer programming, science, art, music...) over the summer. Our last day of regular school is the first Friday of June when my kids take their mandatory state testing. I take them out for a special lunch afterward and then make a point of spending the next week doing fun things while the PS kids are still in school. Last year we took our vacation that week. This year we have tickets for a local water and amusement park.
  2. My son, who doesn't really enjoy reading in general, has deferred all of his reading choices to me since I seem to be able to direct him toward things he actually likes. So far, he has truly enjoyed reading: The Narnia series The Hobbit Alice in Wonderland Anne of Green Gables A Wrinkle in Time The Cricket in Time Square Call of the Wild Bridge to Terebithia Gulliver's Travels
  3. My husband and I loved our apartment in NC. Great location. Nice pool and amenities. Good neighbors. We left there in 1997 and I have disliked every apartment, townhouse, and home we have had since then. I hate our house now. Love the neighborhood. Hate the house. When DD graduates from high school, we plan to sell the house and most of the stuff in it and use the money to buy a small RV and live in that while we travel. That will be "perfect."
  4. I LOVE all things summer. LOVE. During the week, we go swimming in our lake, hanging out with friends, hike, and visit local parks (city, county, state, national). We try to do a few day trips to Portland, Tacoma, and Seattle: museums, zoos, baseball games, water/amusement parks... The kids do a few camps. DS12 goes to Boy Scout camp for a week. There is VBS. And DD8 is doing a volleyball camp this year. And we try to do a family road trip every year as well. Last year we went to the high desert near Bend, OR. This year we are looking at the Channelled Scablands of eastern WA.
  5. How many people man a gas-station? Depends on the size of the gas station but there is always at least one attendant. How many pumps are usually at the gas-station? 2-4 at most small stations, sometimes more at larger ones (but usually there are more attendants) If you want to pump your own gas, can you? No. It is illegal. Does this mean there are no 24hr gas stations in the state or do they keep them staffed 'round the clock??? They are staffed 24 hrs What about truck stops with 18wheelers and such? We have a commercial acct because we own our own business. At commercial stations (like Pioneer Fuel) where you have to have a commercial acct to pump gas, you can pump your own. I'm not sure if it's the same at truck stops because I'm not a trucker. How do you pay? (I wouldn't feel comfortable handing my debit/credit card off to a bunch of random people at the gas station) Credit card or cash, like anywhere else. What if you want to go inside the store? It depends on the station. You can go inside and pay for your soda and gas at the counter if that's what you want to do. What if you want to wash your windows/fill your tires/vacuum your car? Isn't it creepy to do so with people breathing down your back? I've never really thought about it. They don't really pressure you to move along.
  6. It takes my daughter about 30 mins as long as she stays on track. Some days she crawls under the table to read or chases the dog through the yard when she is supposed to be doing math, and on those days it takes longer.
  7. I want the kids to do a little school over the summer but I want it to be fun, or as fun as school can be given that my kids are not lovers of academia. I have never done much in the way of technology for our school but they love doing their chores now because we use the Chore Monster app so I thought maybe something online would interest them. I was thinking about getting a Dreambox subscription. Do your kids find this to be enjoyable? What about IXL? Are there any other sites that incorporate games and rewards into learning? I'm completely lost on this but I know you can help.
  8. I can't really give an opinion because I'm not familiar with most of what you've listed. I can say that we absolutely love CLE math.
  9. DD8 is finishing FLL3. I like it. She likes to diagram so she's happy to do it. Is FLL4 just more of the same or is it worth moving in to for next year? Or is there something else that you would recommend.
  10. DD8 is finishing up FLL3 and I'm looking ahead to next year. The obvious choice is to move into FLL4 but I wondered what others think about this grammar curriculum vs. other choices that are out there.
  11. Our house is 1500 sq ft and at one point we had 4 adults and 3 children living in it. It can be done. It wasn't the most comfortable time in our lives. I would opt for small bedrooms and larger living spaces. And a bathroom schedule for times where everyone needs to get ready at the same time.
  12. Oh, and I like the idea of a co-op but I haven't found one here in town. It seems they are aimed at older kids. I would love for someone else to give him some input.
  13. Thank you all for the advice. I don't really think PS is the answer but I'm having a hard time finding one that is a good balance. DH teaches 2 days and I teach the other 3. Lately, I get home from work on his days to teach and still have to teach or check work because he's not getting it done. He runs a company and we are going through some growing pains with that right now so his schedule on his teaching days is not as open as it used to be. DH does think he should be able to work, watch TV, talk on the phone, deal with scout issues (he's the committee chair for a troop and a crew), etc., while he works and is adamant about the idea. I revamped a lot of our schedule in January to try to make things easier for DH. We use a lot of open-and-go style curriculums because of the way DH views teaching. Generally, things like math (CLE) and LA (LLATL) are workbook-style. I use Story of the World for history and we are doing Earth Science and Astromony this year using living books and some texts. He has also used Story of the USA and Story of Western Civilization (work texts) for additional history and reading comprehension-type work. He has "Building Thinking Skills 2," a book of geography crosswords and puzzles, Getting Started with Latin.... We do artist studies and composer studies as well as piano lessons and some hands on art projects tied to the artist studies. I know I'm forgetting some things.... The thing is that the only things that I KNOW he will get through on DH's days are the items that he can just read and work through independently so I try to schedule those things on DH's days and the other more teacher intensive things on my days. That way when I get home from work I can just check through his workbooks and make sure he understood the assignments if DH didn't get to them. I know he needs more exercise so we have started "training" for Dirty Dash that DS and his troop are doing in June. He is also working on his Personal Fitness merit badge so he has been doing situps, pushups, and stretching throughout the day. He likes to golf but it's the rainy season here so that doesn't really work out. We rollerskate every Wednesday. He plays baseball in the spring and football in the fall with a local homeschool group.
  14. I don't mean to sound like I'm bashing my husband there... He just has a different perspective on what is going on.
  15. Over the last year we have been working on him taking more responsibility for his schedule (chores, scouts, school, etc). We have been focusing on time management as well as thinking across subjects rather than compartmentalizing each subject as a separate entity. We have been doing our basic classes (math, Latin) and then using reading, research, writing, and activities to incorporate logic and thinking into the process. I set up the work for a week. If he doesn't finish the work, it becomes homework for the weekend. If he doesn't finish it over the weekend, he has to do it before starting on the next week's work but it doesn't replace anything that was scheduled. I think part of the issue stems from the fact that DH and I share the teaching and DH feels he should just have to check their work where I feel like I should be teaching them (DD to a larger extent but also DS). He feels like DS should be understanding things independently and pulling across subjects without guidance but I feel that is still a bit much to expect. So DH's answer to the frustration that emerges is PS while I thing PS has its own frustrations. He was never the one dealing with the PS back in the day, and guys don't sit around talking (and complaining) about their kids' schools/teachers like moms do.
  16. And not him so much as us... We are at a tipping point. My son is a 6th grade (turns 12 on Sunday) and we are trying to ramp up the academics this year but he is quite resistant. He likes to play dumb and drive us to the point of insanity in the hopes that he might get to slide by solely due to parental exasperation. DH thinks we should just put him back in PS and let him be their problem for a while. He also feels like DS needs to be around his friends (and girls). I have reminded him that PS means a different schedule for the entire family (wake time, sleep time, bus time, days off, etc) and that it includes nightly homework that will take away from family time and other activities. Anyway... Do we soldier on with homeschooling him or put him back in PS? If we put him back in PS, do we put DD in PS as well or do we keep her home? Do we suck it up through the winter and see what we feel like over the summer? Do we switch up our curriculum or our style in an effort to make school more joyful for all? Thoughts?
  17. I wear makeup every day. Light foundation and mascara at the minimum. Most days I put on a little eye liner too. Rarely anything but chapstick on my lips though.
  18. People choosing to work less/make less money means less tax dollars for the government to use to subsidize Obamacare and other government programs. That could potentially mean even higher taxes for everyone to cover the lost revenue to the government. So in theory those same people who baled from a better-paying job to qualify for the subsidies will be paying more in taxes even on a lower income. One way or the other, the government will find a way to feed itself. For every give there is a take.
  19. My son (BSA) just earned his Star Rank. He's working on Pets, Citizenship in the Community, and Personal Fitness. My daughter (AHG) has her court of honor at the end of the month and has earned 4 service stars (5 hrs of service per star), Living in the USA, Creative Crafts, Stick Shifts and Safety Belts, Nature and Wildlife, and Travel. She is currently trying to finish out Citizenship and Government before we start on Outdoor Skills next month.
  20. Thank you for all of the ideas! Truly! DH and I had a long talk last night. We know we need to ramp up DS's work level but we also need to keep things fun and interesting to save our sanity. And we want the kids to enjoy at least parts of their days. I am going to spend some time this weekend trying to reorganize our schedule using your advice. Here are a few of my thoughts: DH's days (Tuesdays and Fridays): -Math (DH will teach the lessons, DS can check DD's, DS will check his own, DH will go over any problems they got wrong) -DS will do LLATL (I will go over the instructions with DS the night before, DS will try to do assignments independently but DH will review his work) -Logic workbooks will be used on DH's days -DS will do history workbook lesson -Art (I will plan an open-ended project and have the supplies ready for the kids so they can work independently) -Science/History: I will have videos available and the kids can choose what to watch. -Reading: I will assign a non-fiction and a lit selection for each child. 30 mins of reading of choice will also be required. My days (Monday, Weds, Thurs): -Math (I will teach, kids will check, I will review) -DS will do LLATL -DD will do LA on my days only (WWE, FLL, spelling), 4 Lessons/wk -Puzzles and logic games will be played -Reading: I will assign a non-fiction and a lit selection for each child. 30 mins of reading of choice will also be required. -Music: I NEED to start spending a little time teaching them an instrument. We have a piano, an acoustic guitar, and a bass guitar. I also like the idea of a recorder choir, lol. I will also continue teaching music theory. -Science experiments -History: Read SOTW and discuss. Kids can do projects if they are interested. -Writing: DS will start writing a weekly report on a topic of choice. Outside activities: -Monday: DD has AHG 4:30-5:30 and DS has BSA 6:30-8:00. -Tuesday: nothing -Wednesday: Skating 3:30-5:30. Not required, but we enjoy it. -Thursday: 1st Thursday of each month is Free museum day. -Friday: Nothing right now. Spring and Fall are baseball and football respectively from 10 a.m. - noon. I want to add in some rock climbing at the local gym because we all enjoy it and it's good exercise. So.... Does this sound any better than what we had going on before?
  21. Thanks for the input thus far. More details: My son is 11 (almost 12)... 6th grade-ish...and daughter is 7 (almost 8)... 2nd grade-ish. We live in WA and are required to do annual testing but do not have to turn in anything beyond a letter of intent. There are 11 required areas of study (reading, writing, spelling, language, math, science, social studies, history, health, occupational education, and art and music appreciation) but no specific requirements of how these areas are taught. Curriculum: Math: CLE and occasionally LoF LA: DS uses LLATL, DD uses WWE, FLL, and Spelling Workout. History: SOTW but very little hands on activities Science: Currently they are reading through age appropriate levels of Sciencesaurus as assigned. We also use a Harcourt science for group time reading, instruction, and activities Thinking skills: Building Thinking Skills for DS, Childcraft books for DD I also assign daily reading (non-fiction as well as literature) depending on the kids' interests. We also have subjects that get touched on only sporadically... Music: I have CLE curriculum, we listen to music, and have used things like Beethovan's Wig and The Story of the Orchestra. Art: I have tried ArtPac but don't like it. I've tried Artistic Pursuits but can't seem to stick with it. We've done drawing using things like Draw-Write-Now. We go to some sort of museum about once/month... Latin: We've done Song School Latin in the past. We started GSWL and it fell to the wayside. Spanish: I have a few different curriculums (Speedy Spanish for one) but have never even cracked it. Typing: We have used BBC's Dance Mat typing in the past. Geography: We've done the Complete Book of Maps and Geography (DS) as well as EvanMoor's Beginning Geography (DD) but haven't done much this year. Health: Abeka Surely I am forgetting things... Honestly, I know some of my issues stem from the fact that I cannot count on DH to oversee anything that it not a workbook-style assignment with the kids. That has pushed me to choose curriculums that are not teacher-intensive or hands on.
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